Detained for Documenting the Lifestyle During the Pandemic in Wuhan

Panar Kyorova

China and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

A 38-year-old formal lawyer called Zhang initially traveled to Wuhan in February 2020 after reading an online post by a Chinese resident about life in the city during the corona pandemic. 

Once she stepped into the city, she started documenting what she saw on the streets and hospitals in Livestream and essays, despite threats from the authorities, and her reports widely circulated on social media. 

Yet, in May 2020, she was found guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" - an accusation usually directed against activists and informants, seen as undermining the government's efforts to control information in the country. She was sentenced to four years and was then imprisoned where she started a hunger strike in protest. Since then, she has lost much weight and is allegedly kept under physical restraint and force-fed through a tube.

Her family has requested medical parole amid fears that she would not survive. While the US state department itself has urged China to release Zhang Zhan, stating deep concern over her worsening health, the chance of approval for her release is meager.

Source and further readings:

Anonymous (9 November 2020). “Zhang Zhan: US asks China to free jailed Wuhan citizen journalist.” BBC. Available online at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59216601.